Dodgeball Rules
Dodgeball Rules REFEREES At least one referee/monitor will be provided for all matches. Officials are responsible for checking eligibility, attendance, controlling the game and keeping score. If an official fails to show, the teams will be responsible for scoring and calling their own games. Officials must be treated with respect. Each match is controlled by an official who has full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he/she has been appointed to. The decisions of the officials concerning the play are final there will be NO NEGOTIATIONS made between teams. EQUIPMENT/ATTIRE It is the responsibility of all intramural participants to ascertain whether their own health conditions make it advisable to participate in a particular sport. The University of Guelph does not assume ANY RESPONSIBILITY. Appropriate gym shoes and apparel must be worn at all times. All equipment for play will be provided. NO JEWELRY IS PERMITTED FOR ANY INTRAMURAL SPORT. TEAM REQUIREMENTS Teams are allowed a maximum of 10 players and must have a minimum of 6 players to avoid a default (so a minimum of 3 guys and 3 girls must be present at every match). The ratio of males to females must be equal; if an odd number of players are present, the extra player may be of either sex but a team cannot have more than one more of either sex on the court at any time. DEFAULTS/FORFEITS A 10 minute default rule will apply. If the minimum numbers of players are not present 5 minutes after the scheduled game time the team will lose their first game out of five games. Exactly 5 minutes after that if the team has still not met the minimum requirement the game will be officially a default and the official score will be 3-0. *No Added Time Will Be Given* THE GAME Objective The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players by getting them “out”. This is done by either hitting an opposing player with a thrown ball (3 dodgeballs are in play simultaneously) below the shoulders or by catching a ball thrown by your opponent before it touches the floor. Additionally, players
who drop a ball that touches the floor either while they are attempting to catch it or at any other time are “out”. Definitions Attempt - the act of a player with possession of the ball trying to put out a member of the other team by throwing the ball at them - below the shoulders only! Catch - the act of a player catching an attempt by the other team prior to the ball striking the floor or any other object not natural to the playing area. The ball can strike another player first. Deadball - declaration by the official that an attempt has been nullified. A ball striking an official becomes a deadball at the point it touches the official. A kicked ball is a deadball at the point it was intentionally kicked. An attempt made prior to the official start of play is a deadball. A deadball may be retrieved by any player provided it is on their side of the center line and play will resume normally. High Ball - a driven ball thrown at or above the shoulder level. One high ball warning per player per game may be assessed by the official. A second warning causes the player to be put out of the game. Zones of play – each team’s half of the court. Jail – the area immediately surrounding the zone of play of the opposing team; where players who are out must immediately go before touching a ball again, if a player who is on his/her way to jail touches a ball in play it becomes a deadball. Format A dodgeball match consists of 5 games, each 6 minutes in length with short breaks in between. Matches are not best 3 out of 5, as all 5 games will be played regardless of which team wins. At the end of the match, the score is reported as the number of games won for each team (i.e. 3 games to 2, 4 games to 1, or 5 games to 0). THERE ARE NO TIES! Court Dodgeball will be played within the boundaries of a regulation size indoor doubles tennis court (9 meters by 9 meters), with the area surrounding the court to be used as the jail for the opposing team members who are out. The center line of the court divides both the zones of play and the jails as it extends outside the boundaries of the court. Start of Play Play begins when the referee/monitor blows his/her whistle after he/she has placed three dodgeballs in the middle line on the court. Teams must start behind the baseline of their respective halves of the court lying down flat and may enter the court to retrieve the balls only after the referee/monitor has whistled the start of play. Once a player runs and retrieves a dodgeball before they are allowed to throw it at the opposing team they must take the ball back to the baseline and then the ball becomes live. General Rules of Play Once a player has been put out, he/she must IMMEDIATELY proceed to jail; once a jailed player puts out a member of the opposition, he/she must IMMEDIATELY return to his/her zone of play. After possession of a ball is gained by any player, he/she has 5 seconds to make an attempt.
Play is continuous as each team makes attempts at throwing the other team’s players out until either all players on one team have been put out or time expires. No player may leave the zones of play in order to avoid being struck by an attempt or else they are automatically out. A player in the zone of play may not have any part of their body touch any part of the opposing team’s zone of play OR their opponent’s jail OR cross the plane of any of the lines (unless the jail is empty). If this occurs, the player is automatically out. A player in jail may not have any part of their body touch any part of the opposing team’s zone of play OR their opponent’s jail in the act of an attempt, during any action of his/her attempt or while in possession of the ball. If this occurs the ball is considered dead and handed to the opposing team. Players may pass the ball to members of their team who are in jail (and vice versa) by throwing the ball only, they may not hand it to their team members across the center line. A player is called out when they are struck by a ball before the ball strikes the floor or other permanent structure/surface not within the playing area; Their attempt is caught by a player of the opposing team prior to striking the floor, wall, or other surface outside the zones of play; The player drops/fumbles/loses control of the ball whereby it touches the floor; The player steps out of his/her zone of play. NOTE If a ball strikes more than one player before touching the floor, all players that were struck are out. If a ball strikes more than one player and is subsequently caught, no players are out REGARDLESS of who threw the ball and who caught it; however, the player who initially threw the ball is out unless the person who catches the ball is a teammate of the person who initially threw it. A game ends when all players of one team are out, or when time expires. When there is one player remaining - In order for a team to remain in the game, a player from jail (who recently hit someone) must get back to their side before the last player is hit. If the last player on the court is hit before their teammate can make it back to their side, the game is over The winning team is the team with the higher number of players remaining on the court when time expires. If teams have an equal number of players remaining when time expires, sudden death will be played (i.e. the next team to put a member of the opposition out is the winning team) Playoffs Players must have played one-third of their team’s regular season league games to be eligible for playoffs. All competitive teams are guaranteed at least one playoff match after the regular season. Playoff games are played in the same format as regular season games.
who drop a ball that touches the floor either while they are attempting to catch it or at any other time are “out”. Definitions Attempt - the act of a player with possession of the ball trying to put out a member of the other team by throwing the ball at them - below the shoulders only! Catch - the act of a player catching an attempt by the other team prior to the ball striking the floor or any other object not natural to the playing area. The ball can strike another player first. Deadball - declaration by the official that an attempt has been nullified. A ball striking an official becomes a deadball at the point it touches the official. A kicked ball is a deadball at the point it was intentionally kicked. An attempt made prior to the official start of play is a deadball. A deadball may be retrieved by any player provided it is on their side of the center line and play will resume normally. High Ball - a driven ball thrown at or above the shoulder level. One high ball warning per player per game may be assessed by the official. A second warning causes the player to be put out of the game. Zones of play – each team’s half of the court. Jail – the area immediately surrounding the zone of play of the opposing team; where players who are out must immediately go before touching a ball again, if a player who is on his/her way to jail touches a ball in play it becomes a deadball. Format A dodgeball match consists of 5 games, each 6 minutes in length with short breaks in between. Matches are not best 3 out of 5, as all 5 games will be played regardless of which team wins. At the end of the match, the score is reported as the number of games won for each team (i.e. 3 games to 2, 4 games to 1, or 5 games to 0). THERE ARE NO TIES! Court Dodgeball will be played within the boundaries of a regulation size indoor doubles tennis court (9 meters by 9 meters), with the area surrounding the court to be used as the jail for the opposing team members who are out. The center line of the court divides both the zones of play and the jails as it extends outside the boundaries of the court. Start of Play Play begins when the referee/monitor blows his/her whistle after he/she has placed three dodgeballs in the middle line on the court. Teams must start behind the baseline of their respective halves of the court lying down flat and may enter the court to retrieve the balls only after the referee/monitor has whistled the start of play. Once a player runs and retrieves a dodgeball before they are allowed to throw it at the opposing team they must take the ball back to the baseline and then the ball becomes live. General Rules of Play Once a player has been put out, he/she must IMMEDIATELY proceed to jail; once a jailed player puts out a member of the opposition, he/she must IMMEDIATELY return to his/her zone of play. After possession of a ball is gained by any player, he/she has 5 seconds to make an attempt.
Play is continuous as each team makes attempts at throwing the other team’s players out until either all players on one team have been put out or time expires. No player may leave the zones of play in order to avoid being struck by an attempt or else they are automatically out. A player in the zone of play may not have any part of their body touch any part of the opposing team’s zone of play OR their opponent’s jail OR cross the plane of any of the lines (unless the jail is empty). If this occurs, the player is automatically out. A player in jail may not have any part of their body touch any part of the opposing team’s zone of play OR their opponent’s jail in the act of an attempt, during any action of his/her attempt or while in possession of the ball. If this occurs the ball is considered dead and handed to the opposing team. Players may pass the ball to members of their team who are in jail (and vice versa) by throwing the ball only, they may not hand it to their team members across the center line. A player is called out when they are struck by a ball before the ball strikes the floor or other permanent structure/surface not within the playing area; Their attempt is caught by a player of the opposing team prior to striking the floor, wall, or other surface outside the zones of play; The player drops/fumbles/loses control of the ball whereby it touches the floor; The player steps out of his/her zone of play. NOTE If a ball strikes more than one player before touching the floor, all players that were struck are out. If a ball strikes more than one player and is subsequently caught, no players are out REGARDLESS of who threw the ball and who caught it; however, the player who initially threw the ball is out unless the person who catches the ball is a teammate of the person who initially threw it. A game ends when all players of one team are out, or when time expires. When there is one player remaining - In order for a team to remain in the game, a player from jail (who recently hit someone) must get back to their side before the last player is hit. If the last player on the court is hit before their teammate can make it back to their side, the game is over The winning team is the team with the higher number of players remaining on the court when time expires. If teams have an equal number of players remaining when time expires, sudden death will be played (i.e. the next team to put a member of the opposition out is the winning team) Playoffs Players must have played one-third of their team’s regular season league games to be eligible for playoffs. All competitive teams are guaranteed at least one playoff match after the regular season. Playoff games are played in the same format as regular season games.
